Joseph Shapirohttp://wemu.org
enhttp://wemu.org/feeds/6168/rss.xmlVideos Make Everyone A Witness To Police Shootingshttp://wemu.org/post/these-days-everyone-pays-attention-police-shootings
It may seem like there are a lot more cases of people being shot and killed by police.<p>Just this week, two African-American men were shot by police: Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn. Before that there was Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., Laquan McDonald in Chicago and Tamir Rice in Cleveland.<p>But could it be that we are just paying more attention?<p>Protests in Ferguson and around the country and the Black Lives Matter movement have sharpened focus on police shootings.Fri, 08 Jul 2016 09:18:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro78696 at http://wemu.orgVideos Make Everyone A Witness To Police ShootingsCourt Fines And Fees Almost Delay Homecoming For Wrongly Convicted Michigan Manhttp://wemu.org/post/court-fines-and-fees-almost-delay-homecoming-wrongly-convicted-michigan-man
Davontae Sanford was only 14 years old when he was arrested for a string of murders in Michigan. But after almost nine years in prison, his conviction was overturned when a state investigation found that the real killer had later confessed to Wayne County police and prosecutors.<p>Now 23, Sanford was reunited with his family last week in Detroit.Tue, 14 Jun 2016 08:57:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro77720 at http://wemu.orgCourt Fines And Fees Almost Delay Homecoming For Wrongly Convicted Michigan ManColorado Springs Will Stop Jailing People Too Poor To Pay Court Fineshttp://wemu.org/post/colorado-springs-will-stop-jailing-people-too-poor-pay-court-fines
Debtors' prisons have long been illegal in the United States. But many courts across the country still send people to jail when they can't pay their court fines. Last year, the Justice Department <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/08/384332798/civil-rights-attorneys-sue-ferguson-over-debtors-prisons">stepped in to stop the practice</a> in Ferguson, Mo. And now, in a first, a U.S.Thu, 05 May 2016 15:27:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro76218 at http://wemu.orgColorado Springs Will Stop Jailing People Too Poor To Pay Court FinesColorado Springs Agrees To Stop Jailing People Too Poor To Pay Court Fineshttp://wemu.org/post/colorado-springs-agrees-stop-jailing-people-too-poor-pay-court-fines
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Colorado+Springs+Agrees+To+Stop+Jailing+People+Too+Poor+To+Pay+Court+Fines&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDEwNzk2ODM0MDEzNTkxMjU2MDA2YzI0Nw004)"/></div><p>Thu, 05 May 2016 09:07:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro76207 at http://wemu.orgDoubling Up Prisoners In 'Solitary' Creates Deadly Consequenceshttp://wemu.org/post/doubling-prisoners-solitary-creates-deadly-consequences
<em>This seems like a contradiction: Put a dangerous prison inmate into solitary confinement, and then give him a cellmate. An investigation by NPR and The Marshall Project, a news organization that specializes in criminal justice, found that this practice — called double celling — is widespread in state and federal prisons. And as we learned, those cellmates often fight, attack and, sometimes, kill.</em><p>On Nov. 19, 2014, the door clanged shut behind David Sesson and Bernard Simmons. Sesson put his hands through the food slot to have his handcuffs removed.Thu, 24 Mar 2016 11:19:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro74469 at http://wemu.orgDoubling Up Prisoners In 'Solitary' Creates Deadly ConsequencesWhite House Gathers Lawmakers And Judges To Solve Steep Court Feeshttp://wemu.org/post/white-house-gathers-lawmakers-and-judges-solve-steep-court-fees
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=White+House+Gathers+Lawmakers+And+Judges+To+Solve+Steep+Court+Fees&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDExMDQwMzQzMDEzNjMyMTE3MjRkNzlmNg004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: <p>Court fines for a minor infraction, like a traffic ticket or jaywalking, can cost hundreds of dollars. For those who can't come up with the money, it can mean a stint in jail. Complaints are growing about the practice.Thu, 03 Dec 2015 21:02:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro69964 at http://wemu.orgLawsuits Target 'Debtors' Prisons' Across the Countryhttp://wemu.org/post/lawsuits-target-debtors-prisons-across-country
Civil rights lawyers are using a new strategy to change a common court practice that they have long argued unfairly targets the poor.<p>At issue is the way courts across the country sometimes issue arrest warrants for indigent people when they fall behind on paying court fees and fines owed for minor offenses like traffic tickets. Last year, <a href="http://www.npr.org/series/313986316/guilty-and-charged">an NPR investigation</a> showed that courts in all 50 states are requiring more of these payments.Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:36:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro68195 at http://wemu.orgLawsuits Target 'Debtors' Prisons' Across the CountryShe Owes Her Activism To A Brave Mom, The ADA And Chocolate Cakehttp://wemu.org/post/she-owes-her-activism-brave-mom-ada-and-chocolate-cake
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvoj-ku8zk0</p>Fri, 31 Jul 2015 16:54:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro64839 at http://wemu.orgShe Owes Her Activism To A Brave Mom, The ADA And Chocolate CakeComing Home Straight From Solitary Damages Inmates And Their Familieshttp://wemu.org/post/coming-home-straight-solitary-damages-inmates-and-their-families
The thing Sara Garcia remembers from the day her son, Mark, got out of prison was the hug — the very, very awkward hug. He had just turned 21 and for the past two and a half years, he'd been in solitary confinement.<p>"He's not used to anyone touching him," Garcia says. "So he's not used to hugs. And I mean we grabbed him. I mean, we hugged him. We held him.Fri, 12 Jun 2015 09:03:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro62826 at http://wemu.orgComing Home Straight From Solitary Damages Inmates And Their FamiliesJail Time For Unpaid Court Fines And Fees Can Create Cycle Of Povertyhttp://wemu.org/post/jail-time-unpaid-court-fines-and-fees-can-create-cycle-poverty
On a night last week when the temperature dropped to 17 degrees, Edward Brown, who's 62 and homeless, slept at the bus stop in front of the Jennings, Mo., city hall in St. Louis County.<p>"It was cold, very cold," he says.Mon, 09 Feb 2015 23:27:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro57769 at http://wemu.orgJail Time For Unpaid Court Fines And Fees Can Create Cycle Of PovertyCivil Rights Attorneys Sue Ferguson Over 'Debtors Prisons'http://wemu.org/post/civil-rights-attorneys-sue-ferguson-over-debtors-prisons
In a new challenge to police practices in Ferguson, Mo., a group of civil rights lawyers is suing the city over the way people are jailed when they fail to pay fines for traffic tickets and other minor offenses.<p>The lawsuit, filed Sunday night on the eve of the six-month anniversary of the police shooting of Michael Brown, alleges that the city violates the Constitution by jailing people without adequately considering whether they were indigent and, as a result, unable to pay.<p>The suit is filed on behalf of 11 plaintiffs who say they were too poor to pay but were then jailed — sometimes foMon, 09 Feb 2015 18:05:18 +0000Joseph Shapiro57749 at http://wemu.orgCivil Rights Attorneys Sue Ferguson Over 'Debtors Prisons'Study Finds Court Fees Also Punish The Families Of Those Who Owehttp://wemu.org/post/study-finds-court-fees-also-punish-families-those-who-owe
A <a href="http://www.communityalternatives.org/pdf/Criminal-Justice-Debt.pdf">new report on the growth of court fines and fees</a> that are charged to often-impoverished offenders is focusing on another group that pays: their families.<p>Titled "When All Else Fails, Fining the Family," the study finds that impoverished people who go through the criminal justice system almost always get cash from family and friends to help pay their court-ordered fines, even though those family and friends are often poor, too.Thu, 29 Jan 2015 22:51:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro57291 at http://wemu.orgStudy Finds Court Fees Also Punish The Families Of Those Who OweMassachusetts Will Limit Practice Of Restraint And Seclusion In Schoolshttp://wemu.org/post/massachusetts-will-limit-practice-restraint-and-seclusion-schools
Massachusetts is one of a growing number of states that are putting new restrictions on the practice of restraining and secluding public school students.<p>The techniques — which have been blamed for harming students and in at least 20 deaths — were used more than 267,000 times in a recent school year, according to an <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/06/19/322915388/national-data-confirms-cases-of-restraint-and-seclusion-in-public-schools">analysis</a> last year of federal data by NPR and <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/schools-restraints-seclusions">ProPublica</a>.<p>Starting this Fri, 09 Jan 2015 22:08:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro56450 at http://wemu.orgHow Driver's License Suspensions Unfairly Target The Poorhttp://wemu.org/post/how-drivers-license-suspensions-unfairly-target-poor
<em>This is the second of two stories. Read the first story <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/12/29/372691960/cant-pay-your-fines-your-license-could-be-taken">here</a>.</em><p>If you get caught drinking and driving in Wisconsin, and it's your first offense, you lose your license for nine months. For a hit-and-run, the punishment is suspension for one year.<p>But if you don't pay a ticket for a minor driving offense, such as driving with a broken tail light, you can lose your license for two years.<p>"It's an incredible policy," says John Pawasarat of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.Mon, 05 Jan 2015 08:31:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro56207 at http://wemu.orgHow Driver's License Suspensions Unfairly Target The PoorCan't Pay Your Fines? Your License Could Be Takenhttp://wemu.org/post/cant-pay-your-fines-your-license-could-be-taken
Drive drunk, drive recklessly, and the state can suspend your driver's license. But many police and motor vehicle administrators worry about a recent trend: A large number of suspensions are for reasons that have nothing to do with unsafe driving.<p>These reasons include unpaid traffic tickets, falling behind on child support, getting caught with drugs, bouncing checks; or minor juvenile offenses like missing school, using false identification to buy alcohol, or shoplifting.<p>Increasingly, people who study driver safety say this makes little sense.Mon, 29 Dec 2014 23:51:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro55978 at http://wemu.orgCan't Pay Your Fines? Your License Could Be TakenAlabama Settlement Could Be Model For Handling Poor Defendants In Ferguson, Mo. http://wemu.org/post/alabama-settlement-could-be-model-handling-poor-defendants-ferguson-mo
There may be a model for court reform in Ferguson, Mo., in a legal settlement that happened quietly this week in Alabama.<p>The city of Montgomery agreed to new polices to avoid jailing people who say they are too poor to pay traffic tickets.Thu, 20 Nov 2014 22:26:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro54364 at http://wemu.orgAlabama Settlement Could Be Model For Handling Poor Defendants In Ferguson, Mo. Ferguson's Plan To Cut Back On Court Fees Could Inspire Changehttp://wemu.org/post/fergusons-plan-cut-back-court-fees-could-inspire-change
Here are just a few of the fees the city court in Ferguson, Mo., can bill you for:<p>There's a fee to plead guilty. That's $12.<p>You even pay for your own arrest warrant.<p>"The sheriff can charge you for the mileage that it costs them to serve a bench warrant," notes Alexes Harris, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Washington.<p>Each individual fee may seem small, but there are at least a dozen, and they add up. Harris, on her computer, pulled up Ferguson's municipal code.<p>There's a $2 fee for every court visit.Wed, 10 Sep 2014 11:49:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro51437 at http://wemu.orgFerguson's Plan To Cut Back On Court Fees Could Inspire ChangeIn Ferguson, Court Fines And Fees Fuel Angerhttp://wemu.org/post/ferguson-court-fines-and-fees-fuel-anger
To understand some of the distrust of police that has fueled protests in Ferguson, Mo., consider this: In 2013, the municipal court in Ferguson — a city of 21,135 people — <a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=68845">issued 32,975 arrest warrants</a> for nonviolent offenses, mostly driving violations.<p>A new report released the week after 18-year old Michael Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson helps explain why. ArchCity Defenders, a St.Mon, 25 Aug 2014 22:16:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro50767 at http://wemu.orgIn Ferguson, Court Fines And Fees Fuel AngerNational Data Confirm Cases Of Restraint And Seclusion In Public Schoolshttp://wemu.org/post/national-data-confirm-cases-restraint-and-seclusion-public-schools
The practice of secluding or restraining children when they get agitated has long been a controversial practice in public schools. Now, new data show that it's more common than previously understood, happening at least 267,000 times in a recent school year.<p>NPR worked with reporters from the investigative journalism group ProPublica, who compiled data from the U.S.Wed, 18 Jun 2014 22:33:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro47539 at http://wemu.orgNational Data Confirm Cases Of Restraint And Seclusion In Public SchoolsMichigan's High Court Limits The Fees Billed To Defendantshttp://wemu.org/post/michigans-high-court-limits-fees-billed-defendants
Transcript <p>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: <p>From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.<p>MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: <p>And I'm Melissa Block. Michigan's top court, today, moved to put limits on what local governments can charge defendants who go through the court system. The court ruled in a case we told you about last month of a man who got billed more than a thousand dollars for his court costs.Wed, 18 Jun 2014 21:32:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro47533 at http://wemu.orgCourt Fees Drive Many Poor Defendants Undergroundhttp://wemu.org/post/court-fees-drive-many-poor-defendants-underground
The use of fines and fees charged to criminal defendants has exploded. <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/05/19/312158516/increasing-court-fees-punish-the-poor">An NPR investigation</a> has found people who can't afford those charges can go to jail for not paying. Hundreds of thousands are hiding from police and the courts. <div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2014 NPR.Wed, 21 May 2014 20:39:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro46221 at http://wemu.orgSupreme Court Ruling Not Enough To Prevent Debtors Prisonshttp://wemu.org/post/supreme-court-ruling-not-enough-prevent-debtors-prisons
Debtors prisons were outlawed in the United States nearly 200 years ago. And more than 30 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court made it clear: Judges cannot send people to jail just because they are too poor to pay their court fines.<p>That decision came in a 1983 case called <em>Bearden v. Georgia</em>, which held that a judge must first consider whether the defendant has the ability to pay but "willfully" refuses.<p>However, the Supreme Court didn't tell courts how to determine what it means to "willfully" not pay.Wed, 21 May 2014 09:22:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro46175 at http://wemu.orgSupreme Court Ruling Not Enough To Prevent Debtors PrisonsBig Fees For The Big Easy's Poorest Defendantshttp://wemu.org/post/big-fees-big-easys-poorest-defendents
In the next installment of an <a href="http://www.npr.org/series/313986316/guilty-and-charged">NPR investigation</a>, Joseph Shapiro goes to New Orleans to look at the ways poor people are charged for their public defender in court. <div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Big+Fees+For+The+Big+Easy%27s+Poorest+Defendants&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAyOTk4OTc0MDEyNzcxNDIzMTZjM2E3Zg004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: <p>This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.Tue, 20 May 2014 20:57:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro46153 at http://wemu.orgUnpaid Court Fees Land The Poor In 21st Century Debtors' Prisonshttp://wemu.org/post/unpaid-court-fees-land-poor-21st-century-debtors-prisons
Debtors' prisons were outlawed in the United States back before the Civil War. But an NPR <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/05/19/312455680/state-by-state-court-fees">state-by-state survey</a> found that people still get sent to jail for unpaid court fines and fees. <div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2014 NPR.Tue, 20 May 2014 10:17:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro46112 at http://wemu.orgAs Court Fees Rise, The Poor Are Paying The Pricehttp://wemu.org/post/court-fees-rise-poor-are-paying-price
In Augusta, Ga., a judge sentenced Tom Barrett to 12 months after he stole a can of beer worth less than $2.<p>In Ionia, Mich., 19-year-old Kyle Dewitt caught a fish out of season; then a judge sentenced him to three days in jail.<p>In Grand Rapids, Mich., Stephen Papa, a homeless Iraq War veteran, spent 22 days in jail, not for what he calls his "embarrassing behavior" after he got drunk with friends and climbed into an abandoned building, but because he had only $25 the day he went to court.<p>The common thread in these cases, and scores more like them, is the jail time wasn't punishment forMon, 19 May 2014 20:58:00 +0000Joseph Shapiro46091 at http://wemu.orgAs Court Fees Rise, The Poor Are Paying The Price